Critically Comment on UK Governments Intervention in Teacher Education In Past Decade

The developed society differ from other societies by the high life standard, developed social security system and public infrastructure, that answer all the demands of the modern day life.

The life standard of society is judged by many factors as average salary, costs of living, medical care, etc. And among those criteria it's obvious to find the education. The educational system of the country is of the social indexes that shows the level of societies development and shows possible future of societies development. That's why educational issues are of such a great concern for country's government. The educational process should not only respond to the demands of time and country, but it should also respond to the moral, psychological and individual demands of every student.

The studies of the situation in British education in decades showed that in many cases the teacher's professional practice was on the lower level that it had to be. The good proof of it was students? academic performance that in some school was on very low level. The problem was in the decreasing interest of students in the educational process. The consequences of identifying failing or 'sink? schools have been dramatic: good staff has retreated to better schools, and, with falling rolls, some poorer-performing schools have closed. Since late 1980th British government began to pay more attention to the education issues and spend more on the educational system of the country.

As Education and Skills Secretary Charles Clarke said: ?Schools, colleges and universities comprise more than 5% of all buildings in the UK and it is therefore vital that their resources are managed efficiently and in an environmentally responsible way. Gone are the days when we could ignore this. It is no longer a side issue - caring about our environment is important for us all. We also have a duty to help young people develop the knowledge, values and skills to become responsible citizens in their communities. They should be aware of wider global environmental and developmental issues.?

The main task for government is to create an environment in which it will be the opportunity to promote the following among teachers:

? motivation to develop new professional knowledge

? opportunity to be involved in innovational process

? skills for checking the appropriateness of the new knowledge

? means for sharing new experiences within school and within teachers.

It mostly means that government have to give an opportunity to schools to make changes and innovations to look for the most optimal environment or climate that will give the most benefit to both students and teachers, and where failure will have a different meaning from that which is considered to be usually. It?ll be an important part of future progress. But before giving such kind of permission the government has to do the best to restore the trust to the profession of a teacher. Without investment into the educational process of teacher training and investments into the educational infrastructure, innovational approach to the education will more likely to fail.

That's why the changes that had to be made to improve the country's education were also directed towards improving teaching professional skills of student teachers. As most of the school inspectors who supervised student teachers in England say, that they were dismayed ?how little they knew about the people they were going to teach: children?. The level of professional preparation that had a deal with the theoretical part of the job was satisfactory, but they had achieved nothing in their pedagogical practices. And as the inspectors say it's nothing to do with the theory when kids behave naughty or ?are crawling out the windows and telling you you're stupid - and worse.? What most of the advisors and school inspectors suggested is that student teachers should be contracted by the Educational department to a specific school and they have to be paid for the teaching work they do. The advantage is clear: the student teachers will have a motivation for better job, for willing to practice and find new solutions in their everyday job as well as they'll learn how to interact with the students. This suggestion included several days of teaching practice at schools (1-2 days) and the rest of the academic week had to be spent in the university taking regular classes required for graduation.

The main priorities of influence on teacher training is introduction of the new ideas and aspects that have to be taken into consideration by student teachers while they learn, because once they'll be teaching at schools it?ll be difficult to adjust to such changes. The new introductions include more versatile approach to the education process that includes a diverse system to satisfy and include the needs of every student; higher educational standards for public schools and adjusted learning for individual students. All these aspects require addition trainings and knowledge in kids? psychology, interaction and their socialization.

Another aspect of innovations in teaching training is teaching for future teachers to work in the culturally diverse classes. The future teachers have to become knowledgeable about their students and learn to respect their beliefs, way of expression and culture, especially when they'll work with students who are the representatives of national minorities. As the surveys and results of inspection show usually teachers and their students live in different worlds, that are separated by impassible wall, having different values, experiences and looks on life. And being in the classroom while teaching students, neither makes the teacher any close to his students; nor makes him informed about the values of the kids.

By learning student's culture, their dialect particularities and students? background the teachers will not just become closer to their students, but it?ll also increase the level of academic performance and interest in studying that often lacks to the majority of students.

The reasons for intervention in the teacher's education were not made in vane. The government won't spend any money on doubtful projects, especially on those that have to deal with the educational system and teaching in the country. By reforming teacher education the government is planning to get long time investment in to the education level of society that will in future direct the development of the whole country: its economics, culture, infrastructure, services, etc.

Also looking for the new, most flexible and beneficial ways for the education and up bringing of the young generation will stimulate the development of the mentally and physically healthy nation which is also one of the judgments and criteria that determine the level of society development.

Past experiences with public and independent schools showed that the system of education doesn't fully allow determining talented and able students and individually encouraging their academic growth. Quite often such students were left without needed attention and special individual approach that often resulted in the decrease of their motivation to learning. Mostly this happened because of ineffective education system that didn't allow an individual to distinguish his abilities and talents.

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Besides changes that are made in the educational system it's very important to prepare those who will be in charge of the educational process in future. The intervention to the teacher education is also directed on the special training that will allow making innovative specialist that will easily find solutions and regulate problems that appear in the educational process. The modern school management that was used to regulate educational issues for years in Great Britain doesn't look the same effective as it was years before. There appear lots of difficulties nowadays in school regulation that often require extra investment from the budget. Even the school authorities agree in ineffective system of school administration. The programs that will train future teachers also include the knowledge they need for regulating and administrating of the educational process, as well as addition knowledge in management, psychology and problem solving.

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The results that have been already achieved now show that the reformation of educational system in the country was not made in vane. The level of the educational institutions is becoming higher, the performance of the students in academics is the best evidence to that. New trained specialists also find their job in such innovations in education as education for disabled kids and kids with special needs. Moreover the recent surveys show that the rate of children who read books on the regular base is also becoming higher from year to year, at here the credit has to be given to the changes that appeared in British schools and in the way of teaching. Understandably that changes to the better side can not be achieved by reforming only a part of the education system, the reform has to be done in complex, only in this case it will bring desired results.

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